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Aug 5, 2010

Day 3: Apples and Trees

Day 3 of my 30 day blogging challenge called for a post about my parents. Initially I struggled with how real to get. I'm a fairly candid person, but there are certain subjects that are near and dear to my heart... my parents being one of them. To speak with extreme honesty you risk putting yourself out there, but there are times when I believe people should expose themselves in hopes that someone else can relate to their story....

I can still remember the night my father passed away. I remember my Aunt coming to the house to watch my brother and I as my mom made her way to the hospital with my father. I remember the phone call from him when they knew he was going to pass. I remember the feeling that was in the air. I even remember his wake... staring at the casket not fully understanding what death was but being aware that my father was just lying there. How do you begin to explain to a 4yo the concept of death. I mean, it wasn't the loss of a pet... it was a parent. I have all these vivid memories and I was not even 5 yo. It's amazing the things that stay with us.

My parents were childhood sweethearts from the South that married, moved to the suburbs and had the 2 kids and wrought iron fence. They were living their dream. When I was 4 my father passed away and looking back, I believe it was in that time I realized how strong of a woman my mother was and still is. She was 34, a widow and left to raise 2 kids on her own.

Now that I'm married it's scary to think that while we're living our lives with all these plans for the future, you never really know what life has in store. My mother has always stressed that I live every day to the fullest because tomorrow is NOT promised. She learned this early on. Though short, I feel blessed that the years I had with my dad were precious and the last 26 years with my mom have been phenomenal.

A healthy, supportive and nurturing mother/daughter relationship is so important. I really do hope that if I have daughters I'm blessed to have the same relationship with them that I have with my mom. She's my best friend.

My parents in the 70s

I was a daddy's girl

Mini Me

Losing a parent puts life in perspective. We're only granted but a short amount of time on this earth so really be sure to make it count. We don't always have next week, next month and next year to live the lives we want so I say go for it! Don't be afraid to live....

That's the thing... no matter when the loss of a parent happens (whether you're young or old) the hurt stays with you.

For me I was so young that people sometimes think that it's not as sore a subject, but I think that experiencing such a huge loss so early has definitely shaped me into the person I am today. I'm glad you guys can relate...

Who is Ishea?

Chicago transplant sharing my life in the Emerald City. I'm a blogger, phonetographer, and mildly obsessed pet parent. My professional background is in Digital Advertising, but my passion is content creation. I primarily write about hair, relationships, food and social events in Seattle.